Product description

Desert or Paradise is a practical guide to restoring damaged, unproductive land by constructing or restoring lakes and ponds to support abundant edible landscapes. These provide fresh water mixed aquacultures, orchards and crops planted along the banks and literally reaquify the surrounding landscape to turn back the tide of encroaching desertification. Desert or Paradise will explain why natural water management is at the centre of any earth restoration; how to design water retention areas that produce 'living' water; show you how to prevent and reverse desertification; how to prevent floods and soil erosion; dam building; growing and harvesting fish; creating economic as well as biological diversity and much more. These restored landscapes therefore can create both agricultural and horticultural yields as well as habitats that team with wildlife. This is whole-systems landscape design at its very best with many proven case studies.

Author information

Sepp Holzer is a world-renowned pioneer farmer who among his many crops grows kiwis, oranges and lemons, and produces fish in his aquaculture systems all at a startling 1,500m high in the Austrian Alps where most people can at most only grow spruce forests. He consults on landscape restoration worldwide and has an international following.

Review quote

In a lively, accessible style, Holzer manages to address the issue of endangered landscapes while offering guidance to the home gardener and small-scale farmer. By blending big-picture thinking and achievable local-level results Holzer elevates his book far above a how-to or polemic. He seems the voice of reason in a world where a disconnect from nature is imperiling land, water, and people. Elizabeth Millard